Origami for Africa

Detailed Description of the Five Origami Window Panes at the Exhibit

The repetitious folding of cranes as a mental discipline in an effort to do good is as satisfying as it is productive. It is a physical representation of your hopes and wishes of support for the recipient. A profound act of kindness.

Thousands of people joined together for our “Operation Sandy Hook” initiative through which I collected over 10,000 cranes and crane projects for the new Sandy Hook school.There are many individual and personal stories that come with our “Operation Sandy Hook” initiative, and with the donation of the over 10,000 origami cranes which were folded in 13 countries, then mailed to me in Pennsylvania. Every parcel was carefully packaged, so that no delicate crane or crane project arrived damaged or crumpled.

I am getting requests for more descriptive information about the exhibit design and plan, and I am happy to provide more details.

First of all, “Folding for Good: Art Meets Science” included a fun interactive component—I invited Carnegie Science visitors to Fold for Good with me and many dear teaching folding friends on Thursday, October 3, and Saturdays October 5, 12, and 19, 2013. We greeted over 750 science center visitors at our post on the third floor in the beautiful Overlook Room. Many of the visitors were first time folders who left behind 234 origami cranes, which I strung into the cascade shown here. Other volunteers who taught the crane include members of the Japan America Society of Pennsylvania, Origami Club of the University of Pittsburgh, the Origami Club of Pittsburgh and Folding for Good leadership.

Only 5,050 cranes of the 10,000 cranes collected were included in the exhibit due to space limitations and safety concerns. In the background of the photos is the skyline of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Five Window Panes of Origami Peace Cranes

Window 1 Window 2 Window 3

Window 1

Origami for Africa, Kyoko Kimura, Director, contributed the central cascade, which is comprised of 634 strung cranes with beads. These cranes are multicolored and folded from all types and sizes of paper. It is a colorful tapestry representation of peace.

Window 2

The central senbazuru in Window 2 was folded and strung by Janet Locke of Tochigi, Japan and sent as a gift to her sister, Julie Ash of Olympia, Washington, USA, to commemorate a family event. In turn, it was forwarded by Ms. Ash to us. These 1,000 cranes are perfectly matched and constitute a “senbazuru,” the traditional 1,ooo cranes folded for a single wish.

Window 3

Window 3 features another 1,000 cranes senbazuru folded by Owen Byrne, President Origami Salami Iota, Ridgewood, New York. Owen’s “1001 Crane Army” was received packaged by 100’s and then was strung for the exhibit with assistance from the Origami Club of the University of Pittsburgh.

Window 4 Window 5 Full Display

Window 4

The 1,000 red, silver, and blue metallic cranes centered in Window 4 were folded by Kimi Ego and family, Torrance, California, USA. All were received packaged and sorted by 100’s, and then were strung by me and a few friends.

Window 5

The central cascade of Window 5 represents the crane wishes of hundreds of participants worldwide. A few friends and I strung the center cascade from many sizes of paper and lots of patterns to create a tapestry of color that coordinated with Window 1 from Origami for Africa. The single, oversized crane that dangled from the cascade was folded by Sydney Perrine, President, Origami Salami Kappa and Folding for Good 10, Melbourne, Florida, and was the only window composed in this way. Sydney’s crane appeared to be flying over the “Point,” which is the spot in Pittsburgh marking the convergence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers to form the Ohio River. It is a lovely spot, and made for a striking background.

I strung all of the 10, ten foot long strands which flanked the centered cascades. It starts as a slow process, but as you get used to it, it is quite a bit of fun and very relaxing a mental exercise. I added facetted beads to the bottoms of all of the strands to catch the sunshine.

The facilities staff of the Science Center hung all of the crane senbazuru, cascades, and strands.

In closing, I am pleased to say that the touching messages written on so many cranes form the text of a photo essay in progress. Operation Sandy Hook became much more than an expression of sympathy at the happenings of the school murders there. It became a multicultural experience that gives everyone everywhere hope in the face of inexplicable tragedy.

A Year Later… Wishes Handwritten on Thousands of Cranes… Operation Sandy Hook: Peace to You

On Friday, December 14, 2012, a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut and murdered 20 school children and six teachers and administrators.

We published an invitation to the folders of the world on our Facebook page to join together in folding origami peace cranes. Possibly even 1,000 of them. An Origami Salami Holiday event planned for December 15 in Denver by Seb Tabares became the first public event for “Operation Sandy Hook: Peace to You.” Over the next several months, our origami friends around the world responded with over 10,000 origami cranes and projects incorporating the iconic origami crane.

Over the year, we have not ceased to think about the happenings of Sandy Hook, and pondered what this meant overall, and to our mission as well. Many of the cranes came from schools where leadership took the opportunity to build whole multi-disciplinary modules around learning how to fold the origami crane, and then do good with it, and also help students and parents overcome fear and anxieties about the daily routine of going to that place that is school.

People designed original origami models and later published instructions; new origami clubs were begun in at least six schools; people from Ireland, Germany, Australia, Japan, Hungary, the Philippines, Panama, England, India, Italy, England, Africa and the United States of America participated; many wrote prayers, thoughts, and wishes in their cranes.Families got together and learned the crane too, some folding hundreds. Others were folded by people overcoming their own more personal issues—one in hospital recovering from leukemia treatments, one passing on a family sanbazuru commemorating the passing of an infant family member. It wasn’t an inexpensive undertaking either. Pretty origami papers can cost! Many learners practiced on copy paper until the folding was just right; in fact, one future Origami Salami leader test folded over 100 cranes, but only sent in the best ones. Mailing was the most expensive item, especially international shipments. Some international participants sent theirs to the United States in the suitcases of travelers; others sent photos and are still figuring how to afford the mail costs. Folders in one country petitioned local government to subsidize mail costs. I rented out a Post Office Box to receive it all. As I realized that my cell phone photos were not reproducible, I needed a photographer to assist with quality archiving too.

The efforts of the thousands of people who participated made news from Galway, Ireland to Jonesboro, Tennessee. Crane projects figured into our “Liberty Treehouse” segment (an educational program on GBC-TV in the United States—our story is still in edit and queue); on KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, PA; and at the 2013 Ohio Paper Folders Annual Convention in Columbus.

These treasures became the subject of an October 3-November 7, 2013 exhibit at the world class Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where folks believe in doing good with science too.

The leadership of Origami Salami and Folding for Good nearly doubled. And our able and talented leaders staged group events in their homes, clubs, and communities.

Great contacts have been made with officials in Sandy Hook Elementary. A new school will be constructed—the old one is being razed. Ours is a project of great hope, universal empathy, and solidarity. I think we will wait for that new school to conclude these efforts.

Links to our photo archives are below, along with a listing of many of the organizations which participated and supported us. The many individuals persons are noted in or Facebook archive.

For more about Folding for Good’s “Operation Sandy Hook: Peace to You,” please visit our Facebook photo album archives:

Dennis Bateman of the Carnegie Science Center and I dropped by Pittsburgh Today Live! to talk about my ongoing Folding for Good Exhibit at the Science Center. Host Kristine Sorensen immediately made us feel welcome for our nine on-air minutes!

5,050 of the 10, 000 origami peace cranes collected from people in 13 countries through our initiative Operation Sandy Hook: Peace are on display at the Science Center in the three story windows of the Omnimax lobby area from October 3 through November 3, 2013. You can see them from Heinz Field across the street!

Five of the Omnimax windows are full with crane senbazuru, cascades, and strung strands. The cascades and senbazuru (1,000 strung cranes) are from Origami for Africa, Cape Town, South Africa; Japan; Kimi Ego and Family, CA; Owen Byrne, President, Folding for Good 9, Ridgewood, NY and a large cascade representing hundreds of individuals from around the world who contributed cranes—special mention to Sydney Perrine, President, Folding for Good 10, Melbourne, FL, for creating the oversized dangling crane on this one!

Most of the single strands represent efforts of the numerous folders who participated, but two of them were folded in their entirety by Nathan Boerner, President, Folding for Good 2, Cincinnati, OH, and Seb Tabares, President, Folding for Good 5, Denver, CO.

Most of the cranes in the exhibit were sent in loose, so we enthusiastically set about stringing them here in Pittsburgh! Thank you Origami Club of the University of Pittsburgh for helping out.

There is also a museum display case containing several of the origami projects sent in from around the world, including the original Kusudama Sandy Hook, created by Hungarian origamist Gabor Eszaki, Budapest, for Operation Sandy Hook; a stemmed chrysanthemum comprised of small cranes created by Magdolna Moholy, Hungary; a “crane chain” by Arwin Gensemer, President, Folding for Good 8, New South Wales, Australia; peace crane made with melted crayons and wax, created by E.J. DeGuzeman, President, Folding for Good 11, Kissimmee, FL; World of Peace, created by Dubrecen Origami Club, Hungary; colorful cranes created by Mrs, Charron’s Sixth Grade Class, Southampton, NY; a silver box of 26 mini cranes folded by Elizabeth Seay, NY; Renzuru, folded by Sylvia Niedler, Columbus, OH; and cranes with handwritten wishes by the 3rd-6th Class Students at Claregalway Educate Together National School, Claregalway, Ireland.

Also a special thank you to those who are coming out to teach the peace crane to Science Center visitors on scheduled Saturdays, including the Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania; the Origami Club of Pittsburgh; the Origami Club of the University of Pittsburgh; Western Pennsylvania Mensa; Owen Byrne, Folding for Good 9; Erica Manypenny and her team from PA Cyber; and Alex N., Wexford. It’s nice to Fold for Good with friends!

Come out and fold with us! Our goal is to fold an additional 1,000 cranes at the Carnegie Science Center